Rita Payne on a lament for a vanishing secular culture in India, one in which Muslims could feel comfortable There are three key messages one is left with after reading Saeed Naqvi’s perceptive and moving book on what it is like to be a Muslim in India today. First, at a time when Muslims are...
Category: Tidbits
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Gorakhpur tragedy: Meet Dr Kafeel Khan, the hero who saved the lives of countless children
In the midst of the Gorakhpur tragedy, a paediatrician at Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College has been hailed a hero saving as many children as possible. Dr Kafeel Khan, the head of the encephalitis ward and a paediatrician, managed to save many lives and the parents in the hospital had said that had it...
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Bake Off star backs Bolton’s new curry – the Bolti – to rival Birmingham’s famous Balti
A Greater Manchester restaurant has marked 40 years since the creation of one of the UK’s favourite curry dishes by inventing a unique rival recipe. Balti curries are a staple on the menus of Indian restaurants throughout the UK and are enjoyed by thousands of people nationwide every week. The Balti is thought to have...
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MUGHAL-E-AZAM Indian Cinematic Milestone
Inspired by true events, a prince falls in love with a court dancer and battles with his emperor father. Set in the 16th century AD, the movie brings to life the tale of the doomed love affair between the Mughal Crown Prince Saleem and the beautiful, ill-fated court dancer, whose fervor and intensity perpetrates...
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Dara Shikoh and his library
“So what do you feel about my latest effort?” asked Prince Dara Shikoh looking at the assembled scholars keenly. The eldest and most beloved among Shah Jahan’s sons, he was a true scholar. Like Humayun, Dara Shikoh also had his own library. A true mystic, he spent long hours studying and discussing philosophy with saints...
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Where the Thunderbird lives cultural resilience on the Northwest Coast of North America
This is a transformation mask used in feast performances by the Kwakwaka’wakw people of the west coast of Canada. The dancer wearing the mask is able to transform the mask by opening the ten rays to reveal a sun or ancestral figure. See this brilliant mask along with other objects that explore cultural resilience on the...
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India More than doubles Maternity Leave to 26 weeks
India’s parliament has passed a law that increases paid maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. The new law will apply to all organisations which employ more than 10 people. Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said the law was “a humble gift” to women. India now gives the third longest duration of fully paid maternity leave...
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Film Review: Lipstick Under My Burkha – A daring, feminist film unafraid of controversies
While the debate over the Uniform Civil Code and the legitimacy of triple talaq continues to rage all across the country, a new Indian film called Lipstick Under My Burkha dares to challenge the shackles led down by India’s puritanical and patriarchal society on four small-town women. Produced by Gangaajal and Raajneeti director Prakash Jha...
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A Girl in the River
1000 women every year in Pakistan are killed in name of ‘honour’. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy made history as the only Pakistani to win two Oscar awards. “Change does not come overnight. I think it is important to keep pushing the envelope,” said Ms Obaid-Chinoy Sharmeen was awarded the Oscar in the category Best Documentary –...
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The Dirty Old Men of Pakistan
IN the world we live in, there is no dearth of pious men who believe that most of the world’s problems can be fixed by giving their women a little thrashing. And this business of a man’s God-given right to give a woman a little thrashing has brought together all of Pakistan’s pious men. A...